Judicial Branch workers denounce "arbitrary and subjective" evaluation; "teamwork" among the criteria

In at least 17 entities of Mexico, this Friday employees of the Judiciary began a strike. At the San Lázaro Building, located in the Venustiano Carranza borough in Mexico City (CDMX), among other places, there were blockades. But what are the demands of the workers? Below, EL UNIVERSAL explains: The origin is the publication of the agreement of the plenary of the Judicial Administration Organ (OAJ) regarding the regulation of the performance evaluation of judicial career personnel, published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) on November 5, 2025. Its purpose is to regulate said process with reference to decision-making in the areas of professional development, excellence, permanence, and recognition, which certify compliance with the performance characteristics contained in the Judicial Career Law. In an interview with "El Gran Diario de México," the director of the National Association of Circuit Magistrates and District Judges of the Federal Judiciary (Jufed), Julia García, stated that the concern of employees such as process servers, officers, secretaries, among others, is that "arbitrary and subjective" aspects be evaluated. "The Judicial Administration Organ has insisted that it is merely diagnostic. But when one reads the full agreement, there are many things that generate concern among the personnel, and that is why they are protesting. One is that among the factors to be evaluated are arbitrary and subjective ones at the discretion of the heads," she explained. It should be noted that the performance evaluation will apply to process servers, assistants, officers, and secretaries, except for those who work at the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) and the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary (TEPJF). According to Article 30, the factors to be evaluated are: Productivity: 10% Analysis according to profile: 5% Collective performance and teamwork: 2.5% and 2.5% Ethics and values: 2.5% and 2.5% Quality of service: 5% Behavior and professional practice: 10% Knowledge exam: 60% "Far from being concerned about the knowledge, skills, and experience part, what is concerning is how my boss feels about me, about the colleagues I work with, whether well or badly. These are subjective matters that do not reflect a real capacity for jurisdictional work. That is why colleagues are protesting, out of fear that there will be consequences," she clarified. The retired magistrate recalled that before the judicial reform, promoted by former president of Mexico Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a Judiciary employee could advance "step by step," thanks to commitment and dedication. "With the judicial career, one could start as an officer, then become a process server and secretary, all the way to being a judge. People here are used to taking all kinds of exams; it's not that they fear them. What they fear is the arbitrary and discretionary use of the evaluation by the Judicial Administration Organ," she reaffirmed. She asserted that the government, emanating from the National Regeneration Movement (Morena), truncated the judicial career with this latest reform and then with the judicial election held on June 1, 2025. "Those who should be evaluated are the judges, magistrates, and justices elected in the judicial election. What the ruling party is least interested in is training; they are interested in loyalty. We have seen how everywhere they bring in people sympathetic to their cause," she accused. She added that from the Judicial Administration Organ, headed by Néstor Vargas Solano, there has been no openness to dialogue and it maintains a double discourse. "On one hand, it says it is open to dialogue, that it is in the best disposition, that everything is perfect, but lately it does not want to receive or attend to us," she said. She denounced that in the offices, personnel do not have air conditioning, water, paper, toner, among other work supplies. "The Judicial Administration Organ exists to generate favorable conditions so that justice is administered in the best possible conditions," she concluded. Through a statement, the Judicial Administration Organ asserted that said evaluation does not endanger any position held by judicial career personnel. "It is false that the exams scheduled for December 2026 can cause the dismissal of workers or the loss of their positions. (...) This first evaluation will be exclusively diagnostic, will not imply passing or failing, and its results will have no individual consequences on the permanence or separation of judicial career personnel," it reads. It detailed that the purpose is to identify areas of opportunity, consisting of training and reinforcement of knowledge to improve the administration of justice. It anticipated that the first ordinary evaluation will take place when the corresponding training actions are completed. It expressed its respect for the freedom of unionized workers to express their discontent. "However, the performance evaluation is a legal obligation to be fulfilled in order to identify training needs and strengthen the judicial career, and not to justify the dismissal of any worker," it reaffirmed. Finally, it cited Article 100 of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States, and Articles 32 and 36 of the Judicial Career Law. With information from Manuel Espino You may be interested in: Auditor's office reports Talleres Gráficos to the FGR; detects irregularities worth 68 million pesos VIDEO: Tensions rise at the SCJN over Batres' proposal; justice seeks to protect the ISSSTE in deaths due to negligence PJF workers begin work stoppage in 17 states; they see risks in the new judicial career evaluation Join our channel! EL UNIVERSAL is now on WhatsApp! From your mobile device, find out the most relevant news of the day, opinion articles, entertainment, trends, and more dft/bmc